So Many Questions
by LicoriceTwisttt
Summary: A/N: Okay so this is kind of canon, but also slightly not. Takes place on Piper's furlough before the letters from Alex and phone calls...Alex had wanted to see Piper since she got the deal, but never in these circumstances.
1. Furlough

_Hey! So this means I've officially become addicted to Orange is the New Black! yayayaya! I think this is gonna be around three chapters, MAYBE four, I haven't decided yet. It's just me kinda easing my way in to this fandom :) I usually write for Criminal Minds, and I don't ship two girls on there, so I apologize in advance if I screw up how this normally, goes, bear with me; I'd really appreciate it :DDD Sorry for bungling this up with some long A/N, but yeah, I hope you enjoy!_

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The funeral had been shit.

And that was saying the least of it. Not to mention, the sadness that the whole "Larry is finally fucking done with me" in that horrible failure she tried to call seducing him brought. What the hell had she been thinking? The same sense of sadness overtook her at the wedding/funeral reception. Sure, she had been happy for Cal, but in all honesty, Piper had _not_ enjoyed all the people staring at her as if she was a display. The sole reason for the aggravation towards the family friends and relatives had been that they had no idea the absolute batshit craziness that was her life inside Litchfield. They didn't understand that she wasn't the twelve-year-old Piper who made high honor role, she didn't win the science fair, she wasn't that girl anymore. She was, however, an emotional mess with a fucked up ex and now, an ex-fiancee. Neither of the three were exactly appetizing for a conversation starter.

_"__Hi, I'm piper, I'm a felon. I'm _**_still_**_ in love with my ex girlfriend; yes, the drug dealer. _**_AND_**_ now, I no longer have a home, or a husband….So how's the kids?"_

That'd be a great one for the aunts and uncles.

So, Piper figured that she'd just be better off visiting Red's shop, and of course, getting a drink.

However, she hadn't been prepared for the very prominent **FOR LEASE** sign that had been in the window of Red's once successful family market. Piper took a breath as she walked closer to the windows, her eyes slowly filling up with tears. She had saw how much it meant to Red that this place still be successful….how important it was to her that it was still there for her to come back to; but prison always had a way of fucking up the important things in your life. Wiping a lone tear off of her cheek, Piper sniffled and slowly made her way over to the small burger truck around the corner.

Furlough was a one time thing, and by God she was going to get some grease.

Ordering her cheeseburger, Piper glanced down the street to the bridge, taking in the sight it provided. Taking her food from the man, she began to walk down to the bridge, the only sounds coming to her ears were those of her heels tapping the pavement, and the distant sounds of New York City traffic. Piper slowly sat down on the bridge, gazing out on the water as she unwrapped her burger and took another swig of the whiskey she had bought. Slowly, the blonde woman smiled to herself as she looked over her view of the skyline, the lights glittering in the distance.

It was beautiful.

And she was missing it because her days were spent in a concrete prison, eating loaves of mush and avoiding Pornstache's lecherous gaze. Not exactly the life she had hoped for, but it was what it was. In a sick, twisted way, she wouldn't change it. Because even though Alex had gotten her there, the mysterious woman had been worth it. Alex had been, was, and Piper supposed, always would be the love of her life. Why? Why was this fucked up reality TV love story her life? She didn't know. But, she _did_ know that she wouldn't trade Alex in for any Prince Charming.

Standing up, Piper moved to throw away her food bag, along with the still half full bottle of whiskey; she'd had enough anyway.

The cool wind blew through her black dress, and Piper wrapped her arms around herself as she walked down the now nearly empty street. Her parents lived a few blocks over, and after the night she had had, she wanted to cool off with a walk home. Her mind preoccupied with thoughts, Piper stumbled a bit on a particularly nasty crack in the sidewalk. Feeling her heel break, and her ankle twist a little, the blonde bit out a string of curse words that would have a sailor arching his eyebrows; she was not in the mood for this shit. Bending down to take her heels off, Piper stilled as she heard someone speak.

"Now what's a pretty mouth like yours have any business saying things like that?"

Piper turned to face the male voice behind her and she felt her stomach drop. This was _not_ what she needed right now. Tiffany had been different in the self-defense arena. Shorter, and slightly thinner, the woman had not posed too much of a threat to Piper. However, the man standing a good four inches above her, easily almost double her weight did. Taking a cautious step back, she attempted to steady her voice.

"Look, I don't want trouble. You can have my wallet, whatever. I don't give a fuck, I just want to go home." she told the man, tossing her hands up.

"I think we both know that's not what he wants, baby."

Piper whirled quickly to her side to see another man, just as big, come up to her left.

The bad feeling in her stomach had quickly morphed into an elevator free-falling eighty stories with no brakes as she tried to step back from the two men. Why the fuck had she not just taken the damn car ride from Cal?

"Please, please, just take it and go." Piper tried again, thrusting her clutch in the direction of the first man, the second let out a snicker at the blonde. "I'm really not in the fucking mood for this."

Turning back towards the direction of her parent's house, Piper began to take a step forward when a pair of strong arms grabbed her waist from the left side, and she was pulled into a small side alley. Piper began to claw at the hand that clamped down on her mouth as she prepared to let out a scream, watching as the two men followed their partner as he dragged her into the alley.

"A bit late for someone like you to be out, isn't it? Something…bad…could happen to a pretty lady such as yourself."

Piper felt the warm breath of the third man tickle her ear. Letting out a whimper, she struggled to get out of his hold, but was forced back against his broad chest, his arm securely around her waist. Piper let out a grunt as she was roughly pushed against the wall, the three men circling her like vultures. Wiping a tear off of her cheek, Piper looked to the face of the first who approached her. Opening her mouth to speak, she was interrupted by his words.

"Now, let's have some fun."

The words sent chills down Piper's spine and she attempted to run between them, only to be thrown back against the wall, rougher this time.

"You aren't going anywhere, babe." were the last words spoken before the men descended on Piper and she let out a scream.


	2. Discovery

A/N: Sooooo this is gonna be slightly off-canon in some minor areas, so sorry if it strikes you wrong. But so yeah :) RAWR I have the next chapter written out but you should comment if you wanna see something happen and I will do my best :D

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Alex Vause was truly sick of people fucking up.

Not only had she been living like a paranoid freak, she couldn't even get a gun that worked properly. Good to know that if Kubra came through her door, she'd be absolutely defenseless. The "police protection" was a huge joke. Sighing to herself as she trudged down the road to her arms dealer, Alex once again allowed her thoughts to drift to the woman she couldn't take her mind off of: Piper. Not only did Alex feel like a _huge_ asshole for getting the deal and sending Piper back to Litchfield, she was completely pissed at herself for hurting Piper. As cheesy as the whole 'inevitable' thing was, it was true. She still loved Piper, she didn't think she'd ever stopped. However, that was going to be a problem seeing as Piper was still on the other side of the damn fence.

It was enough to drive her crazy.

Walking over one of her favorite bridges, Alex crossed the street and knocked on the metal slide down door of her friend's shop. She had known Vince Rogers for what seemed like forever. They had met initially because of Kubra but he went into small arms and she went into heroin dealing. "Pick your poison" as he had said at the time. They always got along, mostly joking around and whatnot, but both had saved each other's ass before. Which, was beneficial. Whenever one needed a favor, the other was glad to help, almost as if it was a never ending game of tag, only instead of hands they used various illegal favors; not the ideal way to go about things, however, it was effective.

"Open up Vince, I know your ass is in there." Alex said, knocking on the aluminum.

"It's late!" she heard him faintly yell.

Alex chuckled to herself and knocked again, "Nice observation, Sherlock, but you sold me faulty shit, and I need it replaced!" she hollered back. Alex smiled to herself as she heard him groan.

"You," Vince said as he rolled up the window, "are the biggest fucking thorn in my side I think I've ever had." he sighed, holding his hand out for the weapon.

"Yeah, well to be fair, not being able to stop someone from slitting your throat is kind of an inconvenience too, don't ya think?" she grinned, handing him the revolver.

"Eh, potato, potahto." he chimed, walking into the back room to get her a replacement.

Coming back to face his customer at the counter, Vince laughed as she gave him a glare.

"You know, you are the coldest bitch I know." he joked, eyes full of mirth. "Here I am, helping you out with your revolver mess, and all you can do is glare."

"Oh, thank you," she replied, touching her heart, "but Vinny hun, you're the reason I'm in my revolver mess. Now give me that shit before I choke you out…the damn gun is just hardware." Alex smiled, watching as he slid her the gun and threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"Aye aye, Cap'n." Vince laughed, watching as she slid the gun into her coat. "Now, that one, won't stick. Brand spankin' new." he said pridefully, smiling as her eyebrows raised.

"I see, thanks Vince."

"Anything else, your highness?" he smiled once more as he reached up to pull down the door.

"Nah. Thanks again, sorry to wake you up." Alex said, turning to walk away.

"Anytime, Alex, anytime." She heard him answer and then the door slid shut.

Pulling her jacket tighter around her body, Alex turned the corner and began the walk back to the subway entrance that she needed to get home. The street was now empty, and Alex got an uncomfortable feeling in her gut. The feeling of the revolver pressed against her side gave her some comfort as she strode along the street. Briefly she stopped, thinking she had heard someone's muffled cry, but pushed it to the back of her mind and labeled it as paranoia. The brunette kept walking, minding to step over a crack in the sidewalk big enough to break an ankle in when she stopped. She did in fact hear a struggle, and it was coming from the small alley five feet in front of her. Preparing herself to walk by the incident, Alex drew in a deep breath. Yes, it was heartless to walk by, and yes, she felt bad about it but she couldn't afford to make a scene. At the moment, she preferred to stay _out_ of anything that could draw Kubra's attention to her.

Shooting someone less than five miles from her current apartment would definitely fall into that category.

Taking another step forward, Alex began to walk past the alley when something chilled her to the spine. She _had_ heard muffled voices, but she very distinctly knew one of the cries. She'd heard it before when comforting them, she had stayed up many late nights at the prison helping the person out with those tears; it was Piper. And the thought of what was causing Piper to make those noises in the darkened alley, not a foot in front of her, terrified her to the bone.

Drawing in a deep breath, Alex slid the revolver out of her coat. Making sure the gun was loaded, she cautiously took the final step to the alley and turned the corner.


	3. Questions

Thank you so much for the reviews, they make me smile :) I'm glad this isn't too bad for you guys, I hope you like the next chapterrrrrr. OH AND BTW if you have time/motivation you should look up the Vauseman video with the song Wallking Backwards, it's AMAZING. SO YEAH, that's it:3 read onnnn!

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Several reactions assaulted the brunette at once.

One being the pure disgust of seeing three figures on top of the struggling blonde, pinning her to the pavement as tears rolled down her cheeks. Another, the feeling of bile coming up to her mouth at the sight of people hurting one of the kindest people she knew, how could they be so fucking heartless? The last, and most powerful was the immediate unbridled hatred that sparked in her stomach as the scene before her finally registered in her brain.

The woman was seeing red.

Which, was why she raised the revolver to the back of one of the three and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet that grazed the man's arm. The cry of pain that resulted made her smile.

"I suggest that you stand the fuck up, get your filthy motherfucking hands off of her, and walk away." Alex said coldly, loud enough for them all to hear it, but soft enough to portray the lethalness the brunette was prepared to unleash.

"Or what, you crazy bitch?! You're already dead for shooting me!" one yelled fiercely, staggering to his feet.

"Or the next one is going through one of your sorry ass's heads. Got it?"

The two men still on Piper stopped and considered Alex's words. One stood up and walked over to the man with the shoulder wound, putting his injured arm around his shoulders.

"Come on man, the bitch ain't worth it. Let's go." he said, turning with his friend.

Alex froze as the other stood up before kneeling back down to a still whimpering Piper, who flinched away, her eyes wide with fear. He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and then quickly, before Alex could react, had his arm around Piper's neck, standing behind her as a shield.

"Me and blondie had a lot of fun tonight, maybe we can do it again?" he said, his hand drifting over Piper's stomach, dangerously close to her chest.

Alex watched Piper stiffen at the man's roaming hands.

"I said, GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER, YOU SICK BASTARD!" Alex outright screamed, she couldn't handle the rage.

The man's eyes held fear for a fleeting second, before motioning to his thugs to go, and shoving Piper in Alex's direction.

Alex stumbled forward to catch Piper just in time to see the men turning the corner and running away. She considered chasing them for a moment, but was brought back to earth by the blonde in her arms desperately clutching her shoulders, her warm tears seeping through the shirt around Alex's neck.

"Oh, Pipes…" Alex trailed off, not knowing what to say.

She was met only by more tears, so instead of searching for more words, she simply pulled the younger woman closer to her chest, hugging her tight.

"God, Piper, what are you doing here? Why-…God, I have so many questions for you." Alex whispered.

Piper only nodded, appreciating the feeling of protection the brunette gave her.

A moment later, Piper sniffled once more, before wiping her eyes and backing up to meet Alex's glance.

"I-I-" she began to stutter, panic welling in her chest on top of all the already conflicting emotions.

Piper's eyes began to frantically search Alex's, begging the older woman to understand. Alex only nodded, taking Piper's hand and pulling her to her side.

"Let's go back to my place, Pipes. We'll get you taken care of, I promise." Alex told her, smiling softly as the blonde nuzzled into her side, before softly kissing the top of her head.

Alex slowly walked towards the subway, her feet now bare, except for her socks. Having given her boots to Piper, considering what she had just been through plus the already broken heel, Alex felt it was the least she could've done. On the brighter side of things, Piper had stopped crying, now just hanging on to the brunette's arm as she stared down at their feet. Something about watching Alex's sock-clad feet as she helped her down the stairs struck something deep in Piper. This woman would do anything for her, had just saved her from those horrible men, and was about to welcome her into her house and take care of her, despite all they had been through. With the sudden burst of love she felt for Alex, tears started spilling over once more, and Piper once again found her ex-girlfriend's green eyes staring into her own.

"You okay, Piper? I mean obviously not "okay" but, is something else wrong?" Alex spoke softly, looking at the blonde's face as they waited for the train.

"I-yeah, it's just-you're being so kind, an-and I just," Piper sniffled, allowing Alex to wipe a tear off her cheek, "this fucking sucks. Because I love you and at the same fucking time, hate you so much, and tonight has been just fucking up shit creek and after tomorrow? After tomorrow I have to go back to that hellhole and all I wanna do is for some reason just stay with you, and I can't!"

Alex bowed her head a moment, sucking in a deep breath and pulling Piper into a hug. "But we have tonight, and tomorrow until you go back, and that's a miracle in itself. This is not in any way how I would ever want to happen across you, but I did, and I'm going to make sure that you and me; we're gonna be together Piper, I promise you. I fucked up, big time, but it's not going to happen again, ever." she breathed, feeling the younger woman nod.

"I heart you." Piper whispered, pulling back from Alex and wiping the remainder of her tears.

"I heart you too, kid." she replied, smiling softly.

Alex offered her hand to Piper as the train slowed to pick them up, leading her to a seat and they sat down, Alex preparing for the night to come.


	4. Caring

So, I don't know if people aren't interested anymore or there's just a slow period, but I'd really really appreciate it if you just take a sec to tell me what you think. THANK YOUSS, and I hope you enjoy :)

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The train ride home had been silent.

It consisted merely of Alex stroking Piper's arm as the blonde stayed tucked into her side, the older woman's arm around her shoulders. Alex didn't quite know where to start with tonight's fiasco. It was killing her inside not knowing what had happened to Piper. It was obvious from the ripped dress and pantyhose, along with the bruises on her wrists and face that she had been attacked, but it was not knowing the extent of the assault that had Alex's gut churning. Bottom line: she would die if the men had raped Piper. And the shitty fact was that it was a very real option that could have happened, and it made Alex want to throw up. She didn't exactly want to come right out and ask Piper what the hell had actually happened, she knew she was trying hard to process it herself, let alone what the blonde was going through.

It must've been straight up hell.

So, Alex settled for holding Piper while they rode to her stop. It was a very short walk to Alex's new apartment from the sub way entrance, and for that she was thankful. She wasn't much open to the idea of seeing another male tonight, not after what had happened. When they finally did come to a stop, Piper joined their hands again and followed Alex out of the train and up the stairs to street level. From there, they walked around the corner to Alex's apartment, all the while keeping contact with the other. Pulling out her keys, Alex unlocked the door and lightly nudged Piper into the room by the small of her back, before following suit and locking the three inside locks; safety first. Making sure that she had locked the doors, Alex grabbed the first aid kit from under her sink and began to seek out Piper.

"Hey, uh, Pipes, let's go into my bedroom; we can use the bathroom in there to clean you up, and then- well, then you need to sleep, babe." Alex said softly, leading Piper into her bedroom.

The brunette took yet another deep breath as she followed Piper into the bathroom. Sending a quick prayer to a God she wasn't sure was listening at this point, she prayed that things weren't as bad as she had feared, and that Piper would be okay.

Alex's breath nearly caught in her throat as Piper slid the dress off her shoulders.

Slowly, as she removed the pantyhose from her legs, eventually Piper revealed every bruise and scrape from the attack. Tears sprung to Alex's eyes at the particularly nasty scrapes Piper held on her back, most likely from being shoved against the wall; as well as the bruising on her forearms, wrists, and shoulders. It wasn't until she saw the bruises on Piper's upper thighs that her breathing became labored. She noticed Piper staring at her blankly and she opened her mouth to speak, but found no words. She tried again, pushing down the fear that would cause her usually steady voice to tremble.

"God, Piper, please tell me they didn't-" Alex began, only to be cut off by Piper's voice.

"No. No, they didn't _rape…_" she choked out the word, "…me, but they were damn near close, Alex." she answered softly. "You saved me."

"I am so, so, _so_ fucking sorry, Piper." Alex whispered, her voice husky from emotion. She tried blinking to stop the tears, "This shouldn't have happened to you."

"I'm just thankful beyond words you were there, I can't imagine-No, I don't want to imagine what they would've done." Piper told her, staring into her friend's eyes.

"Can I touch you?" Alex asked, breaking eye contact with the shorter woman.

Piper put on a small smirk and raised her eyebrow, "Hmm?"

"Really, kid. Really?" Alex said blankly, holding up the bandaids and washcloth, "You know what I mean." she offered Piper a small smile, the blonde was trying to lighten it up, but Alex wasn't in a laughing mood, not when there were so many bruises on Piper's body.

A small nod was all Piper gave, allowing Alex to turn her to face the shower.

The scrapes are what she dealt with first; the now bright red scratches on her back looked painful to Alex, and it made her heart ache for Piper. Alex soaked a small rag in hydrogen peroxide and placed her hand on Piper's shoulder as she gently rubbed it on the scrapes, watching as they turned from red to white as the germs and bacteria were expelled from the wound. Piper let out a small gasp as the cold liquid hit her back, feeling Alex's hand squeeze her shoulder gently for support as her body broke out in goosebumps.

"Almost done with these, Pipes. It's too large of an area for band aids, so I'm gonna put ointment on them and get you a soft shirt, okay?" the brunette offered, watching carefully for any signs of discomfort as she applied the ointment.

"That's fine. Thank you so much, Al." Piper answered softly, still staring at the shower.

Alex turned Piper around to face her and smiled gently at the younger blonde.

"You never need to thank me for this, ever." Alex replied, gently cupping Piper's cheek.

Before Piper could answer, Alex was already moving to clean and put ointment on the smaller scratches before she put on the bandaids. Alex paused for a second before telling Piper she'd be right back as she left the room to get something else. Grabbing a soft, white cotton shirt and some aloe vera, Alex walked back into the bathroom, smily gently at Piper as she looked up.

"There's not much I can do for the bruises besides ice, and I don't have any. My grandma always gave me aloe vera though, she said it helped it heal quicker and it always worked for me; let's see if I can do the same for you."

Slipping the shirt over her head, Piper sat down as Alex instructed, watching as the brunette slowly applied aloe to her thighs, and carefully grasped her wrists; kissing the finger-shaped bruises on each of them before putting more of the liquid on them. The actions almost had Piper tearing up again, and luckily Alex left once more and Piper wiped her nose; she knew if Alex saw her crying that it would be hard for the older woman too. No matter how fucked up and toxic their relationship was, she knew it would always come down to this: them taking care of each other. It was natural to them, it was love. Alex returned after a brief moment, handing Piper a soft pair of sweat pants and a couple Tylenol.

"These will help with the pain, plus it will hopefully help you sleep." she commented, handing them to Piper with a glass of water from the sink after the blonde had gotten the pants on.

"Al, I know you don't want me to thank you, but thank you, so much." Piper said softly, standing up to look into Alex's eyes.

"You, are very welcome." she replied, gently wrapping her arms around Piper in a soft hug, mindful of her back.

Piper surprised Alex by placing a soft kiss on her neck, before slowly moving up and kissing Alex softly on the lips. It wasn't anything hot or heated, just full of emotion that had Alex kissing her back until they broke apart for air. Alex gently tugged Piper over to her queen sized bed, pulling back the comforter for both of them. She slid in gently, before patting the area next to her, watching as Piper slowly climbed in, immediately cuddling into Alex's hold. The brunette wrapped her arm around Piper's waist, trying not to brush her hand against Piper's back as she held her, the last thing she wanted was to cause the blonde anymore pain. As Alex felt Piper's breathing even out on her neck, she placed a soft kiss on Piper's forehead, looking at the peacefulness on her face.

"I love you, kid." Alex whispered, closing her own eyes and trying to go to sleep, finally comforted with the younger woman in her embrace.

She could only hope they would make it through to the morning without any night terrors.


	5. Please

Hey guys! So, so, so sorry for the delay, it's been hectic. School started today, bleck. Thank you SO much for all the reviews, you guys are amazing! I hope you enjoy :)

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Alex woke up to screams.

Deep down, a part of her had known that it would happen; that Piper's sleep would be interrupted, regardless of how safe she was in the hold of the brunette. She tried to pull the struggling blonde closer to her chest as she whispered for her to wake up.

"Come on, Pipes, it's just a nightmare." Alex whispered softly, her throat tightening as she watched Piper's face contort into a silent scream.

"_Get OFF of me!_" Piper yelled harshly, startling Alex enough to let go of her.

It was then Alex realized that Piper still had her eyes clamped shut. She took in the younger woman's flushed face, her hair sticking slightly to her forehead as she sweat, and Alex understood that this was worse than a nightmare; it was in fact a night terror, and that meant Piper was even more scared than she had thought. Which of course, made Alex feel horrible.

Shaking Piper's shoulder, Alex again attempted to wake up the woman beside her.

"It's Alex, kid. I'm right here, you're safe." Alex tried, louder this time.

That's when Piper lashed out.

Dodging her girlfriend's fist, Alex scrambled to get behind Piper, wrapping her arms around her chest.

"Let me go!" Piper whimpered as she struggled against Alex, "Please."

The tone of her voice nearly sent Alex into tears, because Alex knew Piper was reliving undoubtedly one of the worst experiences of her life, but this time she couldn't escape; she was trapped in her own mind. Hugging her tighter, Alex ran her hand through Piper's hair, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. A minute later, Piper gasped deeply as she woke up, which quickly turned into sobbing. Slumping against Alex's torso, Piper lowered her head into her hands and cried.

"God, I'm so sor-"

"Don't even, Piper." Alex said seriously, meeting Piper's eyes as she turned to face her. "Don't you dare apologize to me, you hear? I _chose_ to bring you home, I'm _choosing_ to do this with you. Because I love you. So don't even try and apologize."

Piper took in the words that Alex had just said and let out a breath. Feeling Alex rub her hand up and down her back, Piper slowly but surely relaxed into the taller woman's hold. Turning her head sideways, Piper found solace in the crook of Alex's neck, breathing in her scent. Alex only pulled her slightly closer, not caring that the blonde had soaked her collar in tears, she couldn't have cared less if she tried. Laying a kiss to Piper's hair, Alex leaned back against the headboard, drawing little shapes on the blonde's arm as her eyes drifted shut again. Alex opted to stay awake, for Piper's sake; it was already almost five in the morning anyway. She could sleep tonight, when Piper went back to Litchfield. Thinking of losing the woman in her arms again led Alex's stomach to plummet. She really didn't want to let go of her.

It'd probably rip her heart in half again.

So, Alex settled for watching the steady rise and fall of Piper's chest, hoping to keep the nightmares at bay. It scared her to think that she'd be alone back in Prison, Red certainly wouldn't be up for nighttime cuddles, that was a given. Slowly laying Piper down on the pillow, Alex got up from the bed, sliding the blanket up the blonde's shoulders before she padded into her living room. Opening her laptop, Alex settled on the couch. tucking her legs underneath her as she brought up her browser. She wasn't losing the blonde, not a second time. Pulling up her email, Alex sent a brief IM to an old friend, much like Vinny, who owed her more than a few favors.

They were getting out.

As she worked out the details online, her confidence slowly grew. They were gonna do it, she was getting Piper out of the damn prison and together, they could start over somewhere new. A small voice nagged at the back of her head, "What if she doesn't want to go with me?". Alex chewed her nail for a moment as she pondered this. Surely Piper would want to go with her, right? Alex knew she was fucked up but at least she was better than Litchfield. Worry nibbled and nibbled at the back of her mind as she sorted out plane rides and housing. Alex yawned into the back of her hand as she shut her laptop. It was final; they could leave today, but only if Piper said yes. Rubbing her eyes, Alex let out a deep breath. She was startled as a pair of hands kneaded into her shoulders. Looking at the clock, she realized it was now nearly nine in the morning.

Today was a big day.

Turning to look up at Piper, Alex let out a small smirk at the blonde. "You're up early."

"The early bird gets the worm, right?" Piper smiled, sitting down on the couch and curling into Alex's side.

"I've got quite the worm for you." Alex mumbles, looking down at the ground.

"Hmm?" Piper answered, absent-mindedly playing with a piece of the taller girl's hair.

"It's nothing really, I'll tell you in a minute. But first, how are you feeling? Do we need to redo any of the bandages?"

"No, no, I think they're good. I feel fine, honestly. I just.." piper trailed off, letting out a sigh.

"You just what?" Alex prompted, trailing her fingers along Piper's forearm.

"I couldn't sleep when you weren't there. At least, not for a long amount of time." she answered sheepishly, a pretty blush rising into her cheeks.

Alex's heart warmed at this, she smiled softly at Piper, and pulled her closer, hope soaring in her chest. Maybe Piper would in fact say yes. It was a few moments before anyone spoke again, Alex lost in her own thoughts.

"So what's the worm you were talking about? I've been curious." Piper asked, smirking up at the brunette.

Alex turned to look seriously at the blonde, "I want you to come with me. We can leave today, never come back."

Piper searched Alex's eyes as her breath lodged itself in her throat. She found nothing but seriousness in the older woman's green orbs and she gulped. "Alex, I-"

"Please."


	6. Alright

Heyyy, here we goo! Sorry if it's a bit awkward, I wasn't fully into this chapter I don't think, a lot of distractions. I'm sorry if it's not long enough, I know that some of you prefer that, but I just-I don't know. We'll call it a character flaw xD I'll work on it :) Read on, and as always, I hope you enjoy :p

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Alex hadn't hoped for anything more in her life.

The need for Piper to say yes was so intense that Alex considering burning up right on the spot. She watched as Piper's mouth opened and shut, the blonde's eyes moving to fixate on her own.

"You're not even safe from Kubra yet, and you want to try and run?!" Piper blurted out, not breaking eye contact from Alex.

"It'd be harder for him to find me if we left." she shrugged.

"Yes, Alex, but that still leaves a very angry man, who, by the way, wants to _kill_ you, on the loose! Alex you're in danger!"

"Like I'm getting so much protection here? My PO could care less if I died, he'd probably be happy about it!" Alex responded, standing up.

"Alex, we would never be able to come back to the US, we'd have to be on the run forever. Is that what you want?" Piper questioned, staring up at the taller woman.

"It is if it means I can have you." she answered quietly, kneading her hands together as she looked at the floor.

Piper stood up and ran a hand through her hair, "We'd be in constant danger, Alex. Any moment they could come for you, or for me, and we could be _killed_."

Alex reached out and grabbed Piper's shoulders, pulling her close to look in her eyes, "I _will_ protect you, Pipes. I swear on anything, if it's the last thing I do, I _will_ keep you safe."

Piper looked away, shaking her head. "I don't know, Al…"

Sighing, the brunette ran her hands through her hair and turned around before turning back to face Piper.

"Look, you almost got seriously hurt last night, okay? And by tonight, you'll be back in prison, where people die, and they hurt each other, and go to the SHU, and you'll be stuck there for another two years doing nothing but wishing you could leave. I know that I haven't always done you right Pipes, and I am painfully aware of the fact that I fuck a lot of shit up, but you are the one good thing I ever had, okay? I _need_ you, so much. I can't promise a life in a mansion or fancy clothes and a steak dinner every night. I can't promise that we'll stay in one place for more than a year, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared shitless about the prospect of Kubra finding me. What I can tell you though, is that I will do everything humanely fucking possible to keep you safe, to make sure you aren't sad, or lonely, or hurt. I love you so _fucking_ much Piper, and it's killing me to think that I might lose you again. because if you don't go with me, I have to go by myself, and I can't come back." Alex finished, she wiped a lone tear and took in a deep breath.

She stared at Piper as the blonde took in all had she had said. It wasn't often that even Piper caught Alex in a vulnerable state, but she was near the breaking point, and if this didn't convince Piper to go, she'd leave New York as a gigantic mess, probably living a life she didn't want to live in anyway.

"Okay." Piper breathed softly, looking up at Alex, "Okay, I'll go."

"What?"

"I said, I'll go with you."

"Say it again." Alex smiled a huge smile, her eyes lighting up as Piper smirked a little.

"I'll go with you, wherever you are, I'm there." Piper smiled.

"I love you, kid." the brunette whispered softly, pulling Piper into a hug while trying to hold back tears.

"I love you too, Al." she responded, placing a light kiss under Alex's ear.

Piper smiled as the action caused Alex to break out in chills. Moving downwards, Piper placed a kiss on Alex's shoulder, then her collarbone, her neck, stopping briefly to lightly bite on Alex's jugular. Piper's actions had Alex tightening her hold on the blonde's waist, letting out a strangled gasp.

"Piper, wha-" Alex mumbled, but was interrupted by the younger woman capturing her mouth with her own.

Piper kissed Alex hard, tangling her hands in the brunette's soft hair. She smiled crookedly as Alex let out a breathy moan, still unsure of what was happening. Piper nibbled on her lower lip, and finally Alex kissed her back, allowing the blonde access to her mouth. Alex gripped Piper's hips and pulled her flush against her, wrapping her arms around the younger woman and holding her to her body. Piper's moved to Alex's shirt, sliding her hands under the cotton, Piper roamed her finger over Alex's back, eliciting more goosebumps from the woman.

"Piper-" she breathed, breaking a kiss.

"Hmm?" was the reply, followed by another attempt at distracting Alex.

"As much as I would love to do this, and you know that I would _very_ much like to do this, we can't." Alex breathed, "We have to get ready."

Piper stilled instantly and stepped back from the brunette.

"You're right." she said, turning from Alex, her tone was ice cold.

"What is it Piper? What's wrong now?" Alex asked, confused by the sudden change in Piper's behavior.

"Just _leave_ it." she replied coldly, refusing to turn and meet Alex's gaze.

"No. Talk to me, kid. One second you're all over me and the next you're the ice queen. What the hell is happening?" Alex walked over to her, crossing her arms over her chest.

Piper whirled around to face her and her mouth opened and closed again as she sighed in defeat. "What if we can't do this?" she said softly.

It was then that Alex noticed the tears forming in her eyes. Pulling Piper into a hug, Alex whispered in her ear, "We _can_ do it, Pipes. As long as I've got you and you've got me, we can do anything, okay? It'll be fine, I swear." she breathed, kissing the top of the blonde's head.

Alex felt her nod, and they walked into the bedroom to start packing.

"You don't have any clothes here, but you're welcome to mine, and we'll shop as soon as we land." Alex commented pulling out a suitcase.

Piper nodded again and helped her fill the suitcase. The two worked together to pack in silence, each in their own world. Alex's mind was in hyperdrive as she tried to manage the stress and nervousness. She was trying to stay strong for Piper, but on so many levels she was ready to fall apart. Alex was infinitely thankful the blonde had agreed, but that was one of the easier parts. Now they actually had to get there, had to get to safety.

Piper's mind was going millions of miles an hour. Questions were racing around in her head as if it was the biggest NASCAR event in history. Would they make it? Would Alex be safe? Would they get caught? Where were they even going? All of this Piper didn't know, and it bothered her to no end. She couldn't for the life of her find a logical reason to why she had agreed to Alex, because love wasn't logical. The only reason Piper had said yes was because she felt exactly had Alex had. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed the brunette, and she'd risk everything to have her.

"I think that's it." Alex commented, rolling two suitcases behind her and into the foyer.

"Yeah…" Piper trailed off, taking a suitcase from Alex's hand and opening the door.

Alex reached out and grabbed Piper's arm, turning her to look at her.

"Hey, it's gonna be fine, kid. I promise." she told the blonde, kissing her on the cheek and pulling her into a small hug.

"I trust you, Al. I trust you." Piper answered, closing the door behind them.

It would be alright.

It _had_ to be.


End file.
